UK Hospital
Summary
- Leaking and burst hot water pipes in UK hospital
- 10” lines
- Four valves installed in two days
- Gaskets changed to cater for hot water
When a leak and burst was identified on LTHW (low temperature, hot water) 10” pipes in a UK hospital, turning off the water to fix the issue was not an option. The hospital needed its water supply to remain on to ensure it could continue to treat patients.
Following an 18-month investigation into the issue, the hospital’s contractor Morris Mechanical Services, contacted AVT’s UK installer R2M Site Services who suggested installing a number of AVT EZ Valves to create control points enabling repairs to be made.
The AVT EZ Valve can be installed on a live line with no need to shut off the water. Once the proprietary EM (end milling) machine has milled the 120o slot across the host pipe, an integrated isolation gate allows the EM machine to be removed and the bonnet, which holds a resilient wedge gate, can be installed.
Four AVT EZ Valves would need to be installed on vertical and horizontal lines but first they required slight amends in order to handle the 120o heat of the water that flowed through the pipes. The usual gaskets were replaced with silicone which was able to withstand the heat and still form the required seal around the pipe.
R2M Site Services’ Engineer Director, Cameron Creed lead the installation and along with his team installed all four valves in just two days.
“Firstly, we are very proud that our presence at the hospital prevented a catastrophic leak and water shut off, but our greatest achievement was completing a live valve insertion on a vertical and ceiling hot water pipe, which is unprecedented within the UK water industry and can now be rolled out within hospitals across the rest of the country,” Cameron said.
Morris Mechanical Services’ Construction Manager, Christopher Morris said: “The most challenging part of the job was getting the water at the right workable temperature within a short time frame, before the temperature would begin to drop in the wards. However, we did it and the effectiveness of the EZ Valve installation is perfect.”